Acting, Intimacy, and Other Related Problems
by simply-aly
Summary: When Abby tries to set Clarke up on a another blind family-dinner date, Octavia steps in and offers Clarke an out. It's really too bad she didn't realize Octavia meant her brother, Bellamy Blake.
1. Chapter 1

Clarke is sitting in her living room, video chatting with her mother.

"Yes, Mom, of course I'm coming to Dad's birthday dinner on Sunday," Clarke says, staring at her mother through the laptop screen.

"You're welcome to bring your roommates along. We'll have more than enough food. Marcus is bringing one of his employees, a young man named Wick, Kyle Wick. I think you'll like him." The set up is too familiar. She tried this with her and Wells years ago and then there was that hospital intern last year for Thanksgiving.

Octavia, sitting on the opposite end of the couch, recognizes the set up—she's actually pulled it a few times—and barges into the conversation. "We'd love to come over for dinner. Should we bring anything? You know Raven and I make a mean potato salad, and I know for a fact that Clarke's boyfriend can bake like no one's business."

"Yes, Octavia, please bring that salad. It is to die for." Abby smiles at Clarke's new roommate. Then she seems to register the rest of the statement. "Boyfriend?" Abby looks confused. "Clarke, you never mentioned you were seeing anyone."

In all honesty, that's because she isn't. She hasn't had a boyfriend since the Finn fiasco a few months back, but she sends Octavia a grateful look before answering. "Yeah, uh, that's because it's rather new. I'm sure he'd be happy to come, though."

"Of course he can come, then, and he doesn't have to bring anything, but if he wants to, you know we never turn down more food."

Clarke smiles apprehensively at her mother. "Yeah, well, I've got to go, Mom. I'll see you on Sunday."

"Bye, Sweetie," her mother says before the screen goes dark.

Clarke turns to Octavia after a moment with a panicked look. "Where the hell am I gonna get a boyfriend who can bake in less than a week?"

Octavia smiles. "Well, I know someone. He's tall, a bit of a nerd, and lives across the hall."

Clarke's mouth drops open and she shakes her head. "No way in hell am I introducing your brother to my mom as my boyfriend."

Bellamy, sitting across the room studying for his for his ancient civilizations final, looks up. "What was that?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Look," Octavia says, turning her attention to her brother, "it's really quite simple. Clarke needs to pretend to have a boyfriend so her mom doesn't keep setting her up with guys she doesn't know or like. Her mom has never met you, and the setup is pretty much a built in cliché—girl falls for best friend's older brother. It's perfectly believable." His sister's enthusiasm is practically oozing out of her pores.

Across from Octavia on the couch, Bellamy watches Clarke's eyes widen. "Except I already said, no, Octavia. It's not happening."

Bellamy rolls his eyes before turning his attention back to his textbook. "Like I'd ever date you, Princess," he remarks coolly.

Clarke scoffs. "Don't even," Clarke says. "We all know that the real problem here is that I'd never date someone like you."

Bellamy studies his sister's best friend for a moment. "Why not?" he asks after a moment, unintentionally synchronizing the question with Octavia.

Clarke closes her laptop, picks it up, and stands. "Because you're an ass and a player, and my mother would never believe I'd date someone like you."

Right after the words tumble out of his mouth, he knows he's proven her point for her, but the key word is after, so he spits out, "She believed you dated Finn, didn't she?"

Clarke just stares at him for a moment, her mouth open in shock, before she storms to her room without another word.

Bellamy cringes when he hears the door slam.

Octavia throws her notebook at him, the wire hitting across his face. "I cannot believe you just said that," she hisses. "After everything that happened because of that guy, you're going to throw her mistakes in her face like that? You really are an ass."

He stands up slowly and hands Octavia back her notebook. "You're right. I'll go apologize."

Octavia's eyebrows raise. "If she'll even let you."


	3. Chapter 3

Clarke hears knocking on her bedroom door, but chooses not to respond. She doesn't really care if it's Octavia or Bellamy. She was right—Bellamy is an asshole—and this whole mess is Octavia's fault for even coming up with this ridiculous scheme. She doesn't really want to talk to either of them; she just wants to forget this ever happened and think of some excuse to tell her mother.

"Go away!" she screams at the door when the knocking continues.

"Let me in, Clarke," she hears his voice through the door, low and commanding.

She narrows her eyes. He's in _her_ apartment, trying to get into _her_ room, and _he's_ trying to command _her_? No. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

She hears him sigh and holds her breath, waiting for the sound of footsteps retreating down the hall, but it never comes. Clarke closes her eyes, resolutely ignoring him, despite the fact that she _knows_ he's still there.

After awhile, the tension eats away at her and she swings her legs off of her bed and walks to the door. Upon opening it, she sees him sitting against the opposite wall.

"Fine," she allows, "you can come in."

Bellamy Blake nods solemnly, his eyes downcast.

He looks contrite, she notes, and she wonders what he's there to say.

She settles herself back on her bed and watches him warily, but with some amusement, as he looks around for somewhere to sit himself. After finding no chairs, and eying the floor before shaking his head slightly, he slowly lowers himself down onto her bed as well.

Clarke glares at him. "You had no right to say that. Not only did you prove my point for me, but you used something against me that I never would have believed you capable of before. You hurt me."

Bellamy just nods. "I know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't even mean it. It was a stupid thing to say and it was cruel to throw that in your face."

Clarke knows that forgiving him this easily is stupid, but she can't help herself. He looks like he feels awful about it—as he should!—and Clarke knows that he didn't mean it.

She sighs. "Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do about dinner at my parents on Sunday."

Bellamy tilts his head just slightly. "Well, if you want, I could pretend to be your boyfriend. I wouldn't mind."


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in the passenger seat of Bellamy's car, Clarke's really starting to regret saying yes. Between Octavia and Raven's constant stream of chatter and teasing, and Bellamy's need to argue for the sake of having something to say, Clarke's beginning to wonder if she should have just went by herself.

She could have easily lied to her mom and said her boyfriend couldn't get off work and that the girls couldn't come. Sure, her mom might have been a little suspicious, but it wouldn't have been all bad. She could have dealt with that. This, on the other hand, might be getting out of control.

"We really should get our story straight," Bellamy says as he turns off of the freeway. "How long have we been 'dating' now?" Clarke glances over at him and sees the light smirk on his face, and wants to punch him.

"I told Mom the relationship was pretty new, so two weeks, maybe?" Clarke suggests.

Octavia breaks from her conversation with Raven in the backseat. "Yeah, you two finally got to talking at that party at Jasper's that you dragged me out of, Bell."

So focused on driving, Bellamy starts to respond, "That never happ—" before realizing that Octavia was inventing their backstory. Then he nods. "I wasn't in the mood to party, because I had that Greek culture paper due the next day, and was venting," he adds, recalling why he was so pissed that night.

Clarke smiles. "And I distracted you so O could sneak off with Lincoln for a little while," she says. Bellamy takes his eyes off the road long enough to glare at her, probably wondering what part of that is true and what part of that is fiction. "So we talked about Greek culture and Greek architecture…until Sterling ran into you and spilled his beer all over your shirt."

Clarke smirks as she watches his hands tighten around the steering wheel as he recalls that part of the night.

"It was a full fucking cup, too," he rants. "I was soaked in the stuff."

Raven laughs. "At which point I found Octavia and dragged her to you before you found her—because that totally would have made everything worse—and we all went back to your place and spent the night."

Bellamy nods, but glances quickly to Clarke. "And then, what? I remembered our conversation, so I asked you out the next day?"

Clarke shrugs. "Something like that."

"Oh!" Octavia exclaims, pushing herself closer to them, so her head is between the two front seats. "You asked her to that architecture exhibit at that gallery on Sixth St. Remember, Clarke? You talked about that for three days straight."

Clarke turns to face Octavia. "There were some really fascinating things at that exhibit," she responds before turning back to her fake boyfriend. "You would have liked it, Bellamy."

Bellamy smiles the first genuine smile she's seen during the entire two hour drive. "Yeah, the stuff they had on Athena was excellent," he remarks.

Clarke stares at him, open mouthed. "You were there?"

He nods. "Went the day it opened, Princess."

Raven barks out a laugh as she pulls out a piece of gum and shoves it in her mouth. "You two are practically made for each other."


End file.
